The closure of the White Hen Pantry at 250 Cambridge St. last Monday came without notice and left many wondering what led to its sudden departure, including the convenience store’s longtime landlord.

“We were in negotiations to renew [White Hen Pantry’s] lease, which was up on Dec. 31, when the tenant abruptly chose to leave,” said Martha Abrams-Bell, CEO of Boston-based Abrams Management Co.

White Hen Pantry was the original commercial tenant of the building, since its conversion to residential use in 1979, Abrams-Bell said.

“The space is being actively marketed,” Abrams-Bell said. “We look forward to having a new tenant in place for 2011.”

The Cambridge Street store was managed by New England Pantry, a Danvers-based sub-franchiser of White Hen Pantry that operates 58 convenience stores in the region. In December, 7-Eleven, Inc. of Dallas, Texas, acquired New England Pantry from affiliates of the Houston-based investment firm Sanders Morris Harris Group Inc.

Representatives from 7-Eleven were not immediately available for comment.